Otherwise
by Sableheart
Summary: Five cats are trapped and swiftly dying, but when a horrible, twisted secret is suddenly revealed, they must find a way out before it's too late.
1. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

She made it back to where the others were waiting before she collapsed into her makeshift nest.

"I'm back," she panted, voice hoarse.

"Nothing?" The large brown tom who had been talking to three other cats turned to her. "But you stayed out so long, I thought . . . " He glanced guiltily at the three cats.

The smallest cat, a lithe white she-cat, meowed, "Prey is scarce. You know that." She looked at the gray she-cat, the one who had been out searching. "You tried hard, right?"

The gray she-cat could only nod.

"So we're all going to starve." A strikingly thin ginger tom spoke for the first time.

"That's how it was always meant to end. I mean, we all knew that." The brown tom shook his head regretfully. "I had hoped for something more, but..." He sighed, bowing his broad head.

"It can't be true," a silver-and-black she-cat protested. "They promised us . . . I mean, they . . . " She broke off, tears filling her eyes. "Is this really the end?"

The gray she-cat's tailtip flicked. "I'll only believe it when I live it," she rasped. "I don't want this to be the end."

"No one does," the ginger tom said grimly.

* * *

Far away, someone was listening in.

_So they have given up, _the someone mused. _After all this time, all these promises, they give up so easily? _She shook her head. _They are even more hopeless than I had originally thought. I must watch closer; otherwise, they might all die, and then where would this world be?_

She stepped out of that dreary line of existence and vanished without a trace.

* * *

Night fell slowly, being drawn out even more by the terrifying thought that it could be someone's last night. As the moon overtook the sun once again, drawing its long black pelt along with it, all five cats stared dimly at the sky.

Finally, unnerved by the silence, the gray she-cat spoke. "Please, don't die tonight."

She heard a snort, followed by the sardonic, straightforward meow of the ginger tom. "We wouldn't be able to control that, now, would we? It's the end, you need to face that. Go to sleep." She heard him roll over, followed by his gentle snoring.

No one else had woken up, and the gray she-cat felt alone, trapped by the darkness pressing closer around her. She didn't want to believe that this was how their lives would end, separated from the rest of the world and starving.

Resolutely, she stood on shaking paws and made her way through the nests, careful not to step on any stray tails. The stars, peering out of their home cloaked in darkness, were hardly reassuring. They were so far away... so cold.

She jumped up the rock ledges to stand at the top. She had no idea what it was the top of, for every time she stood there, a fog seemed to roll in by chance, obscuring her vision. It was puzzling and aggravating. If she only knew where they were hiding, she could help the others escape!

An idea struck her, and she climbed down carefully, pawstep by pawstep, into the fog, away from where the others were sleeping. It was freezing, and not being able to see where she was putting her paws became disorienting very quickly. Her head spinning, she made her way back up to the top, relieved to at least see the ground again.

It was time. She had to face the truth, the truth that the others had already come to terms with. She had just wanted to be certain . . . and now she could be.

There was no way out.

* * *

**A/N: Welcome to _Otherwise_, a new story that won't be too long. I plan to have some fun and experimenting with this as well.**

**Reviews are appreciated! c:**


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

She woke up the next morning, cold and hungry, but alive. The gray she-cat shook the sleep from her mind, gazing at the others bleary-eyed. The ginger tom was the only other one awake.

"You have to stop," he commanded as soon as he met her gaze.

She was taken aback. "Wh-what?" she stammered. "What am I doing wrong?" Her tail drooped. "If it's about yesterday's hunting, I'm sorry, but I – "

The ginger tom shook his head irritably. "No," he snapped. "I'm talking about the way you act about our . . . _predicament. _The others . . . " He dropped his voice. "You're worrying them."

"What are you talking about?" The gray she-cat wrinkled her nose at him. "Someone's been dreaming too much for his own good."

The ginger tom's eyes narrowed. "Just – be careful, will you," he spat. "I – _we_ don't want to lose you." Pushing his way past her, he vanished into the misty morning.

She stared after him. _Was that . . . ? _She shook away the thought; there was no way he meant it that way. She purred at herself, amused by the idea that she would ever have such a thought.

There was no way he could _love _her.

Right?

* * *

Finally the others woke up, weak and exhausted. The gray she-cat knew that unless they found good food soon, they would all starve quickly. She made up her mind to go hunting, to see if she could find something . . . _anything._ Besides, the ginger tom hadn't come back yet; someone had to make sure he was alright.

She set off across the land, avoiding rocky clefts that could twist a paw and the places with loose stones that could collapse underpaw. All five of them had learned where it was safe to walk and where they should avoid; with time comes knowledge.

And they'd been stuck there for at least seven years.

The prey had never run out before; somehow there had always been a steady supply, despite the desolate location of their so-called "home." It had never snowed, either, until the day before yesterday. Everything was changing, and they didn't know why. It was like someone was _toying _with them, messing with their senses, their emotions, and even their lives.

But that was ridiculous. She kept walking over the cold stone.

After a long, grueling search for something — _anything — _to eat, the gray she-cat returned to the others, feeling defeated. The three cats there had finally dragged themselves awake, although with a glance she knew that they wouldn't last much longer.

It was a horrible thought, and she shook it away as quickly as she could. "Nothing," she murmured apologetically. "There's no prey left out there."

The brown tom uttered a harsh curse, digging his claws into the ground. "So that's it, then?" he spat. "This is how we die - weak, hungry, and alone?" He let out a long, angry yowl. "I didn't survive this long to end like _this!_" His fury seemed to shake the very roots of their existence.

No one had a calming reply for him. Trembling, the gray she-cat turned tail on the angry cat and fled.

* * *

A hidden gaze continued to dwell among the darkness, shrouded and secretive.

_Another failure. _She shook her head regretfully, closing her mismatched eyes. _When will they learn that the fate of the world lies in their paws? _She made a decision that shocked even her. _I will go into their midst, and tell the First Subject what needs to happen for the group to survive. Otherwise, they will never make it out of their prison alive._


End file.
